Can you, for those who don’t know you already, tell something about yourself and how you became an author?

I’ve been telling stories for as long as I can remember, and I’ve been a lifelong reader of great literature. Writers like Hemingway, Tolkien, and Tom Clancy shaped how I think about storytelling—the efficiency of Hemingway, the poetry of Tolkien, and the attention to detail and complexity of Tom Clancy.

As a counselor, I’ve spent a lifetime listening to people talk—not just what they’re saying, but how they say it, where they hesitate, and what’s happening underneath the words. That sensitivity to voice and subtext is where I think the real strength of my writing lies, particularly in characterization.

When I retired, I finally had the time to dedicate myself fully to writing. Bringing together those literary influences with years of close listening felt like a natural progression.

What inspired you to write A Damned Dirty Thing?

A Damned Dirty Thing grew out of my lifelong fascination with the World War II era and the years immediately after it—the aesthetics, the atmosphere, and the moral certainty people believed in at the time. It was an era that tended to see the world in stark terms of right and wrong, especially in the aftermath of the war.

Jake Bishop came out of that moral framework. He’s an amalgam of characters like Rick from Casablanca and Jake Barnes from The Sun Also Rises—flawed men doing the best they can with the circumstances they’re given. They’re damaged, they’re compromised, but when it matters, they still choose to do the right thing, even when it costs them. That tension—between ideals and reality, between damage and decency—is what drives the book. The voice, the choices, and the moral pressure all flow out of watching that kind of man try to live honestly in a world that keeps asking him not to.

Convince us why you feel your story is a must read.

A Damned Dirty Thing is the story of a man with a wry sense of humor, a sharp cynicism, and a strong moral code, navigating a world of absolutes. Jake Bishop isn’t a hero in the traditional sense—he’s flawed, he’s honest, and he refuses to compromise when it comes to doing the right thing. At a time when much of literature leans toward YA, cozy romances, or heavy-handed political messaging, I wanted to offer something different: no lecturing, no moralizing, no hidden agenda—just a straightforward, Scotch-soaked, cigarette-smoked story of a man on a mission.

Readers who appreciate character-driven noir storytelling, moral tension, and a protagonist who’s as smart as he is sardonic will find this a story that stays with them long after the last page.